Rhamondre Stevenson — Week 3: Seven Carries, Three First Downs

14 to three, Jaguars, 13 23 left in the third quarter, fourth and one at the New England 47, one snap after Drake Maye was stopped for no gain on third and one. Rhamondre Stevenson went up the middle for three yards to midfield, and an unnecessary-roughness penalty on Antonio Johnson added 15 more, to the Jacksonville 35. +3.6 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — the largest figure on any Patriots play of the day, penalty included, and five points of win probability, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it.

The drive was his: six of its nine snaps. Four yards up the middle to open it; the fourth-down run; a 12-yard catch on first and 15 after a false start, pushed out at the Jacksonville 28; four yards on second and three for a first down; two more; and a two-yard catch to the 20. Then Maye's third-and-six throw for Romeo Doubs fell incomplete, and Andy Borregales missed from 38 yards, wide right. Stevenson did not touch the ball again.

The line: seven carries, 22 yards, three first downs, three of the seven successful, +3.6 expected points on the carries, and the fourth-down run accounts for all of it. They went five, two, two, four, three, four, two. Three targets, three catches, 16 yards. Three carries came before halftime: five yards on his first; third and two at the Jacksonville 37 in the first quarter, right tackle for two and the first down, with Maye sacked and fumbling on the next snap; and second and four at the Jacksonville four with a minute seven left in the half, two yards to the two, one snap before Travis Hunter's interception in the end zone.

The split: New England ran 23 designed runs — TreVeyon Henderson eight, Stevenson seven, Corey Kiner six, Maye two. Before halftime Henderson had eight of the 12. After it Stevenson had four of the 11, all on that one drive, and Kiner six in the fourth quarter with the game gone. Three targets out of 30 Patriots throws that had a receiver.

Back in June the preview called Stevenson a quiet fade: a finish propped up by touchdowns, an aging back, a rising rookie behind him — though it noted he had taken the lead role back by the playoffs. Week 1 was 18 carries with Henderson inactive, 51 yards, −8.1. Week 2 was six carries for 43 and a lost fumble, with Henderson getting 16. Sunday was seven to Henderson's eight, and the second half was Stevenson's until Jacksonville pulled away. Three games, 31 carries, a hundred 16 yards, no touchdowns. The split has gone 18 to none, six to 16, seven to eight: three games, three different backfields, and nothing settled, except that the touchdowns the preview expected to fade have not arrived at all. New England is at the Bills on Sunday the fourth.

_Data via nflverse._